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An Interview With Dr. Michele Ferrari, part two

The Eye Of The Storm

In part two of our exclusive interview with Dr. Michele Ferrari, he talks
with us about the ongoing court case in Italy and his relationship with Lance
Armstrong. (Click here for part
one.)

While he continues with his regular business of advising cyclists, Dr. Michele
Ferrari is the subject of an investigation by the Italian justice system. In
December 2001 in Bologna, Judge
Passarini began a case that accuses Ferrari of sporting fraud and doping. Two
months later, in February 2002, pro cyclist Filippo
Simeoni testified on behalf of state prosecutor Spinosa, claiming that Ferrari
prescribed EPO and explaining the Ferrara doctor's alleged system to avoid doping
controls. In March 2002, Dr. Michele Ferrari defended
himself against Simeoni's accusations .

Between last October and February 2003, both Ivan
Gotti and Claudio Chiappucci
testified in Judge Passarini's court on behalf of Dr. Ferrari, with Chiappucci
contradicting many of Simeoni's accusations. In the last month, Ferrari has
been back in court in Bologna for two sessions, in
April and as recently as last week. Besides some expert witnesses who explained
the theraputic use of EPO, State prosecutor Spinosa presented another witness,
a former amateur rider named Carlo Colbalchini (1990 world military cycling
champion). Colbalchini claimed that while on Team Ecojet in autumn of 1992,
"Ferrari didn't explicitly talk to me about EPO because it was part of a program
of training and diet so I could get in shape for the next season." Colbalchini,
who was 10kg overweight at the time, refused to follow a diet program that Ferrari
recommended.

Ferrari defended himself staunchly in court as well, testifying in Bologna
that, "the use of drugs to improve sporting performance is a boomerang for the
athlete, because, beside the negative effect on the athlete's health, it will
cause an athlete to think that there are [drugs] that can help them perform
even better. I will add that 90 percent of the drugs on the official list of
substances considered as doping products don't work to improve performance,
but actually make it worse. Personally, I have always fought these [doping]
practices inside the world of [sports] science. For that reason, I categorically
deny that I had suggested or prescribed doping products to athletes who came
to me for sports preparation."

Ferrari's trial entered a new phase last week when his attorney, avv. Bolognesi
challenged the entire premise of prosecutor Spinosa's accusations with a 'super
partes' brief. This brief contests Spinosa's conclusions that the changes in
the haematocrit levels of athletes treated by Ferrari were due to administration
of EPO. At the time of writing, the trial of Dr Ferrari continues with no end
in sight. As the case continues, Cyclingnews offers Part 2 of our exclusive
interview with Dr. Michele Ferrari.

Cyclingnews: At what point is your trial in Bologna? [We spoke to Dr
Ferrari in April, just before the next phase in late April.]

Dr Michele Ferrari: The trial has been going for a year
and a half and even this is something strange. The basis of the accusations
is the testimony of Filippo Simeoni, and the only evidence is his testimony.
In reality, all the others who have testified in my case have denied and contradicted
these allegations. But Simeoni isn't pure as a witness as he has culpability
in related matters. So his allegations need to be corroborated by other evidence
or testimony. And that's what the [prosecutor] has been looking for a year and
a half.

CN: Like the stars you made in riders' training diaries?

Dr MF: Yes, the very same. Simeoni says "this star means
that I was to take Andriol" [an oral testosterone compound, or steroid] but
that is absolutely not true. It's even written in his program that he was supposed
to take vitamins, and the stars were intended to draw attention to the training
that day, which was very specific, perhaps very hard, and then to remind the
riders to take vitamins or amino acids.

There was no hidden significance to these markings, that it meant a doping
product. As well, all the others (who have testified in Ferrari's case) said
"No, these stars corresponded with vitamins or amino acids or a cream."
This is the reality of the situation but the media is reporting things differently.

Also, the actual accusations were ridiculous to start with.There is no scientific
basis for any of these accusations and the facts will show that [my case] is
a political maneuver that is seeking to paint all pro cyclists as implicated
in doping. It's a 'castello accusatorio' [mountain of accusations] that has
been built up over the last five or six years. That's not normal either, since
Italian law says a person can't be investigated for over a year and a half.
[Dr Ferrari hits the table for emphasis.]

CN: Have you changed your approach to working with pro riders since
this?

Dr MF: The way I work hasn't changed. Since some riders
have become used to taking something every time they have a problem, a pharmacological
solution if you will, I have a different approach to this. If a rider comes
to me and asks me for a way to solve a problem, I listen to what they want and
very gradually, over time, propose alternatives to what the riders have been
used to taking. Rather than giving a rider an anti-inflammatory because they
have pain in their leg, I want to find out why they have this pain, perhaps
it's because their position isn't ideal, or the training isn't ideal for the
riders condition at that moment. It's my job to propose alternatives to a pharmacological
solution. If you tell a rider, "no you can't take [this]", well you can say
that to a young 17 year old rider, but that won't work with a professional rider;
it doesn't work, it's never worked.

So in my work, I've always sought to fight against the use of pharmacological
products in general in cycling - let's not even talk about doping - and have
sought to propose to professional riders an alternative to use of drugs, legal
or otherwise. You can't just say "no", you have to explain why the alternative
is better; yes it may take longer and may be harder, but the results are certainly
going to be better.

CN: Can you tell us about your collaboration with Lance Armstrong and
Chris Carmichael?

Dr MF: I met Lance at the end of 1995; Eddy Merckx introduced
us and I think Lance's Motorola team used Merckx's bikes. After that, we started
to work together and above all at that time, Lance was interested in the Classics.

We worked together and unfortunately, Lance had his problem with cancer in
October 1996.

After that, we still kept in contact; I tried to encourage him but I didn't
tell him that he couldn't come back [to pro cycling]. He then had some problems
with his team, Cofidis I think, who told him that they weren't interested in
him after the cancer. Lance then had a moment of crisis; he thought of retiring
because he found that he was not accepted back into cycling. At the end of 1997,
he found a new possibility to come back with the US Postal team. We had always
maintained our contact and since he was in the US, we didn't see each other
often. But I would send Lance suggestions or his training program that were
very, very prudent and gradual. At that time, we [Lance and Chris Carmichael]
discussed a major change in Lance's pedaling style.

I had already worked with Tony Rominger at the end of his career on this; because
I realized that the tendency to use big gears was causing problems for riders;
problems with tendons and the back. So already with Tony in the 1997 season,
he changed his pedaling cadence. However, he was at the conclusion of his career
at that point and wasn't too motivated to continue.

With Lance, also because he had lost a lot of muscle mass due to his cancer
treatment, I found fertile terrain for this new approach to cadence. So we started
already in the winter of 1997-98 to work on this change for Lance to use a higher
cadence; above all, with changes of cadence which is the basis of my method.
I mean, to go from a high cadence to a low cadence during training depending
on whether the terrain is flat or a climb.

In spring '98, Lance had a crisis at [Stage 3 of] Paris-Nice but he wasn't
going badly; he was in the top 10 on GC, I think, but his character as a "winner"
couldn't accept that he would have a bad day. Lance overcame this and from that
point on, we were in contact more often; always with Chris Carmichael as well.
Lance would come to see me in Ferrara, he would do his tests here and worked
on his performance on his time trial bike too. We worked very closely during
1998 with Lance and Chris Carmichael to develop this new approach with a higher
cadence; it's become part of the story of Lance.

After his cancer, Lance didn't have the same level of power that he had before,
the prior level of muscular force. That was the reality so I proposed to Lance
and Carmichael to work with a higher pedaling cadence and they agreed 100 percent.

At the end of 1998, Lance had gotten fourth in the Vuelta and fourth in the
World championships, which were encouraging results. The next winter, we refined
this approach with a higher cadence for Lance. It worked so well that in the
spring of 1999, [Armstrong] beat Rominger's record for the climb of the Col
de la Madone in Menton [near Nice, France] that [Rominger] had set five years
before. Lance beat the best time by 40 or 45 seconds and from that time on,
we realized that Lance had made a 'salto di qualità' (jump of quality) in his
cycling performance.

When I told Tony, who has a character similar to that of Lance that Armstrong
had beaten his record on Col de la Madone, he was surprised and disappointed.
Tony told me "Well, I never won the Tour, but I'm really sorry to lose this
record!" As for the rest, there is all the success Lance has had in the Tour
but this is recent history; I've invested a lot of time to work with Lance and
his group; Chris Carmichael, Johan Bruyneel and others. I've expanded my collaboration
with Lance and as of today, this is continuing.

CN: What about the famous orange juice quote that you gave to l'Equipe
that was so controversial?

That l'Equipe Interview

Evgeni Berzin, one of the Gewiss
trio that swept Fleche Wallonne in 1994

In April 1994, after the Gewiss team dominated Flèche Wallonne, taking
all three podium spots after a 72km break, Dr Michele Ferrari gave a combative
interview with French sports newspaper l'Equipe in which he sparred with
journalist Jean-Michel Rouet over Gewiss' dominance, doping controls,
and the role of the team doctor.

Then, Rouet asked Ferrari the question that has followed him ever since.

Jean-Michel Rouet: Speaking of EPO, do your riders use it?

Dr Michele Ferrari: I don't prescribe this stuff.
But one can buy EPO in Switzerland for example without a prescription,
and if a rider does, that doesn't scandalize me. EPO doesn't fundamentally
change the performance of a racer.

J-MR: In any case, (EPO) is dangerous! Ten Dutch riders have died
in the last few years.

Dr MF: EPO is not dangerous, it's the abuse that is.
It's also dangerous to drink 10 liters of orange juice.

Dr MF: Have you read the interview?
I said what I said as a specific response to a specific question. It's a long
story that certain elements in the Italian media took this quote out of context
and exaggerated it. That's the story. They asked me about EPO, if EPO in and
of itself was dangerous and I responded that "EPO itself has pharmacological
indications that are quite precise and of itself, it's not a dangerous drug.
It's the abuse that's dangerous."

CN: In the past, didn't investigative journalists come to Ferrara and
obtain information about Lance Armstrong's hotel stays during his visits to
your clinic?

Dr MF: No, that's not how things went; this sports reporter
for a British newspaper didn't come to Ferrara, he went to Firenze and spoke
to the N.A.S. [National Drug Squad] Carabineri.

They called the Ferrara police station and asked them to check their hotel
records for Lance Armstrong. And that information was then put in the paper.

CN: How did you react to that information?

Dr MF: It's not normal! This was an excessive use of the
power of the Carabineri; they are not supposed to give a journalist this type
of information. But we had nothing to hide regarding Lance; he came here to
do his tests and we never denied it at all! It wasn't hidden at all. I don't
know this journalist; I've never met him at all.

CN: How do you view the future of cycling from the point of view of
a doctor who's specialty is sports preparation?

Dr MF: Well, an important new trend is the way to communicate
via internet. It's great to be able to bring my more than 20 years on professional
experience in this field and make it available to everyone via 53x12.com. Clearly,
this can't be a training program that would be as in-depth and comprehensive
like Lance Armstrong's. Or any other pro rider. But the fundamental way we approach
cycling via the internet is new. We are also seeking to educate and inform people
to get more out of their cycling experience. If we succeed in reaching 1000
young riders, or not so young riders via our site and help them improve their
riding and their understanding of how to ride better; not just how to pedal
differently, but in their sports nutrition, that will already be an important
result.

The vast majority of cicloamatori don't have any method to their training and
we can offer them this methodology to improve their performance via our website.
We want to invite people to become part of an internet community at 53x12.com
to help them get more out of their cycling experience.